23/08/2021 Day 515 Pandemic, schools and children In Karnataka, high schools and pre-university colleges reopen today after eighteen months of remaining shut due to the pandemic. This prompted me to gather articles and reports on the impact of the pandemic on schools and school-going children in India. The setback in education at school-level is unprecedented. … Continue reading Day 515: Pandemic, schools and children
Tag: Education
It is not what you think is wrong with ‘education in India’
Writing this in a haste, with an urge to put down what I feel about this piece that Scroll published a few hours back about a government school teacher who was mobbed by his students and urged to not leave, when he was transferred from the school. The students and teacher are visibly moved and emotional … Continue reading It is not what you think is wrong with ‘education in India’
‘besetting sin of Indian educationists…’ Mysore University Magazine, 1924. Has anything changed since then?
A four year story
Sumavanam School Madanapalle This is a relationship that began with a term paper and turned into what seems to be a life long association with a duo who have helped an ignorant mind understand the fine print that life sometimes comes with and which some fail to grasp. Rode down to meet a couple who … Continue reading A four year story
Understanding Children & Feeling Naked
Last week in school, two incidents forced me to think about what does one really know about a child's mind. A better question would be to ask what do we know about a child through his years of growing up, until an acceptable, complying adult is formed out of her by years of joint work … Continue reading Understanding Children & Feeling Naked
Observations from parent-teacher meeting
Last week at Poorna, we had parent-teacher meeting (PTM) spanning over two days. I was looking forward to this since the current academic year began. I wanted to see and get to know the parents of the kids I was spending time with in sociology classes. At Poorna these meetings have an unhurried and informal … Continue reading Observations from parent-teacher meeting
Freedom of a real education
It has been a month since I left my teaching job at school. Since, this move was to make more time for other things I was doing, instead of a sense of relief, a constant sense of loss has prevailed over the last several weeks as I finished classes and bid farewell to the kids … Continue reading Freedom of a real education
Subject knowledge of teachers
There is a rare corner in the Indian media (print and broadcast) where concerns about various aspects of education system in India are being pursued. This space, I am glad to see, has a significant presence of researchers and academicians from the university I attended. Over the past year, these articles have aided my work … Continue reading Subject knowledge of teachers
A year as a high school teacher
This seems to be a month of anniversaries. This month I complete a year as a high school teacher at Poorna. Besides this, I figure that our little startup which took off from a small house in a small college town is now a fledgling company which is over 7 years old. The business has … Continue reading A year as a high school teacher
Education in pre-colonial India: Dharampal’s The Beautiful Tree
In the school where I teach, the teachers hold a very diverse range of views about the role of a school in a child's life. What must school stand for and what areas of the child' s life must the school be concerned with. Those who run the school - the management folks, stand at … Continue reading Education in pre-colonial India: Dharampal’s The Beautiful Tree
Contested Realities 